Combination garment and spectacle holder

ABSTRACT

A spectacle holder in combination with a garment. The spectacle holder has an elastic loop fastened to the first portion of the front side of the shirt. The elastic loop has an opening ¼″ to ⅜″ in width, is 1¼″ in length and is shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles. The adjustable strap latch is sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles. A hook and loop fastener is provided to adjustably secure a pair of spectacles in the spectacle holder. The strap latch is spaced 2 inches to 3 inches from the elastic loop so that the hinge of the spectacle arm inserted through the elastic loop will rest against the top of the elastic loop and the strap latch will secure the arm in place in the spectacle holder. Alternate embodiments of the invention are also described and claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention generally relates to spectacle holders and more specifically to a combination garment and spectacle holder.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] It is a common problem for people who wear spectacles to not have a convenient, relatively safe place to store spectacles when they are not in use. The following previously issued U.S. Patents disclose several different spectacle holders in the prior art.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,409 issued to O'Keeffe discloses a spectacle holder for containment of a pair of spectacles, the holder being attached to any convenient surface. This spectacle holder is compact, but does not hold a pair of spectacles in place should the spectacle holder be turn on an end or turned upside down.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,522 issued to Takasaki discloses a spectacle holder having a cover sheet consisting of a main section and a flap section which are foldable toward each other to hold the spectacle glasses, the flap section having notches in the opposite end portions thereof to receive base end portions of the bows of the frame. The holder is detachably attached to a belt or a wall surface. This spectacle holder securely holds a pair of spectacles within the holder, but is somewhat bulky and requires a person to have a loop or belt on their clothing to attach the holder.

[0007] With these common shortcomings in mind, there is a need for a compact spectacle holder capable of conveniently and securely holding a pair of spectacles that is integrated into a piece of clothing such as a shirt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] To solve the aforementioned problem, as well as other problems that will become apparent after reading this specification and viewing the appended drawings, a spectacle holder in combination with a garment is provided. The combination comprises a garment, such as a shirt, and a spectacle holder.

[0009] The shirt is for humans and has a front side with a first portion and a second portion.

[0010] The spectacle holder has an elastic loop that is fastened to the first portion of the front side of the shirt. The elastic loop has an opening of from about ¼ inch to about ⅜ inch in width, is about 1¼ inches in length and is shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles. The color of the elastic loop can be varied to match the first portion of the front side of the shirt.

[0011] The spectacle holder has an adjustable strap latch sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles. Preferably, a hook and loop fastener is provided to adjustably secure a pair of spectacles in the spectacle holder. The strap latch is preferably spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches from the elastic loop so that the hinge of the spectacle arm inserted through the elastic loop will rest against the top of the elastic loop and the strap latch will be spaced such that the strap latch will secure the arm in place in the spectacle holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a front view of the combination garment and spectacle holder with a pair of spectacles being held by the holder.

[0013]FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the spectacle holder holding a pair of spectacles.

[0014]FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an end view of the elastic loop.

[0015]FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an end view of the strap latch.

[0016]FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows a front view of an alternate embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0017]FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows an end view of the alternate embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0018]FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a front view of a further embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0019]FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows an end view of the elastic sleeve of the further embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0020]FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows an end view of the strap latch of the further embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0021]FIG. 10. FIG. 10 shows a front view of an even further embodiment of the invention.

[0022]FIG. 11. FIG. 11 shows an end view of the elastic loop of an even further embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0023]FIG. 12. FIG. 12 shows an end view of the strap latch of the even further embodiment of the claimed invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0024] FIGS. 1-4 show a preferred embodiment of the combination garment and spectacle holder 10. The combination 10 is basically comprised of a garment 20 and a spectacle holder 30. The spectacle holder 30 has an elastic loop 40 and an adjustable strap latch 50.

[0025]FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention 10 where the garment is a shirt 20. The spectacle holder 30 is preferably positioned in the upper breast portion of the shirt as shown in FIG. 1. However, the spectacle holder 30 can be positioned in a variety of position to achieve a variety of functional and aesthetic goals. The elastic loop 40 and the strap latch 50 are preferably spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches apart so that the hinge 60 of the arm 70 inserted through the elastic loop 40 will rest against the top of the elastic loop 40 and the strap latch 50 will be spaced such that the strap latch 50 will secure the arm 70 in place.

[0026]FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the spectacle holder 10 holding a pair of spectacles 80. The elastic loop or sleeve 40 is preferably made of an elasticized fabric and is 1¼ inches long. FIG. 3 shows the elastic loop 40 has a ¼ inch loop 45 for receiving an arm 70 of a pair of spectacles 80. The strap latch 50 as shown in FIG. 2 preferably has a hook and loop fastener 90 to adjustably fasten a pair of spectacles 80 in place. The hook and loop fastener 90 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is preferably about 1½ inches in length and about 1 inch in width.

[0027]FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment 100 of the invention where the spectacle holder 30 comprises a strap latch 110 alone. This alternate embodiment of the invention uses a pair of eyelets 112, 114 in place of the elastic loop 40 to secure the arm of the spectacles. The fastener 130 of the strap latch 110 is preferably of the hook and loop fastener type, but may be a different type of fastener 130. The strap latch 110 shown in FIG. 5 is preferably about 1½ inches in length and about 1 inch in width. FIG. 6 shows an end view of the strap latch 110 shown in FIG. 5.

[0028]FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment of the spectacle holder 140. The elastic loop or sleeve 150 and the strap latch 160 are preferably spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches apart so that the hinge 170 of the arm 180 inserted through the elastic loop 150 will rest against the top of the elastic loop 150 and the strap latch 160 will be spaced such that it will secure the arm 180 in place. The fastener used in this embodiment is a snap type fastener 190. FIG. 8 shows an end view of the elastic loop 150 with a ¼ inch to ⅜ inch opening 155 for the insertion of the arm 180 of a pair of spectacles 200. FIG. 9 shows an end view of this embodiment with the strap latch 160 having a snap type fastener 190.

[0029]FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of the spectacle holder 210. The elastic loop or sleeve 220 and the strap latch 230 are preferably spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches apart so that the hinge 240 of the arm 250 inserted through the elastic loop 220 will rest against the top of the elastic loop 220 and the strap latch 230 will be spaced such that it will secure the arm 250 in place. The fastener 260 used in this embodiment is a button type fastener with the button hole 270 being located on the free end of the strap latch 230. FIG. 11 shows an end view of the elastic loop 220 with the elastic loop 220 having a ¼ inch to ⅜ inch opening 225 for the insertion of the arm 250 of a pair of spectacles 280. FIG. 12 shows an end view of this embodiment with the strap latch 230 having a button type fastener 260.

[0030] Although the invention has been described by reference to some embodiments it is not intended that the novel device be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure, the following claims and the appended drawings. 

I claim:
 1. A spectacle holder in combination with a shirt, the combination comprises: a shirt for humans having a front side with a first portion and a second portion; a spectacle holder, the spectacle holder comprising: an elastic loop having an opening from about ¼ inch to about ⅜ inch in width shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles fastened to the first portion of the front side of the shirt, the elastic sleeve having a first centered center point; an adjustable strap latch sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles having a hook and loop fastener providing adjustable security for a pair of spectacles, the strap latch having a second centered center point about 2 inches from the first centered center point; and a pair of spectacles having a first arm and a second arm, the first arm inserted through the opening of the elastic loop, the first arm and the second arm secured by the strap latch.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the elastic loop has a length of about 1¼ inches.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the color of the elastic loop matches the first portion of the front side of the shirt and the color of the adjustable strap latch matches the second portion of the front side of the shirt.
 4. A shirt for humans having an elastic loop sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles fastened to a front side of the shirt and a strap latch sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles having a fastener providing security for a pair of spectacles.
 5. The shirt of claim 4 wherein the elastic loop and the strap latch are spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches apart.
 6. The shirt of claim 5 wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fastener.
 7. The shirt of claim 5 wherein the fastener is a button and button hole.
 8. The shirt of claim 5 wherein the fastener is a snap.
 9. A spectacle holder in combination with a garment, the combination comprising: a garment having a front side with a first portion and a second portion; an elastic sleeve having an opening sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles fastened to the first portion of the front side of the garment; and an adjustable sleeve sized and shaped to receive an arm of a pair of spectacles having a hook and loop fastener providing adjustable security for a pair of spectacles.
 10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the elastic sleeve and the adjustable sleeve are spaced from about 2 inches to about 3 inches apart.
 11. The combination of claim 10 wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fastener.
 12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the fastener is a button and button hole.
 13. The combination of claim 12 wherein the fastener is a snap.
 14. The combination of claim 13 wherein the elastic sleeve has a length of about 1¼ inches.
 15. The combination of claim 14 wherein the color of the elastic sleeve matches the first portion of the front side of the garment and the color of the adjustable strap latch matches the second portion of the front side of the garment. 